Input for my multiple tier fish tank idea please?

[AdrienDeLaChicago]

Hey, everyone.

So I have six bettas. I wanted to make a vertical type of shelving unit to house them. I do not have any designs to show you visually. But hopefully I can describe it in detail and see if you all think it would be sturdy enough. I really have no room for horizontal placement due to studio living.

So here goes,

I was thinking of using the 5.5 gallon tank by All Glass. I have six bettas. So I will need six tanks. My idea was to use 2x4s. These will make the vertical portion of the shelf and will be the support at each corner. Then I was going to use 2x10 wood and this would be used as the shelf to house the tank. I was thinking of having the two rear 2x4s attached to the back of the wall so that there is no fear of this tipping over (since it will be around 7ft tall). I was thinking of using 4" screws to screw the 2x4 support beams into the shelf. I will pre-drill holes to prevent any cracking of the wood.

To try and give you a visual the 2x4s in the back will lay flat up against the wall and I will fasten them to permanently secure them to the wall once the entire shelf is made. The shelf portion will be in front the studs that will be the rear support and will be secured on the 2x4s with 4" screws and then the 2x4s in the front will be attached to the front portion of the shelf. So this means that the sides will have nothing on them and I was hoping to go this route so that I could enjoy the view of the tanks from either side of the tank.

From Aqueon's website a 5.5 gallon tank will weigh roughly 65lb once filled up. As I break it down that is roughly 32lb per side and broken down per stud that winds up to be 16lb per screw at each stud. I may even buy steel "L" shaped brackets to attach underneath the shelf and into the stud for some extra support. The bottom tank will sit on the floor but then the shelving unit will be designed so that the tanks above will be in perfect alignment with the one on the floor. So figure 5 tanks x 65 = 325lb. And when I divide this among the four studs that will be the vertical support that winds up to be about 81.25lb per 2x4 stud.

I will not have to worry about space behind the wall as I have a 2" drilled hole (into the drywall) that goes into a closet behind the wall. This is where all the electrical wiring will go into as I have an outlet to take care of all of that. Plus I will be using filtration that will not be "hang on the back" style filtration.

Whew! What do you all think? :)

I have some carpentry skills as an apprentice and I used to hang kitchen cabinets quite a bit so I have some skill. I have been looking for some type of modular shelf for my specific measurements but with no luck. I don't want a shelf that is 3" wide by 18" deep just for small tanks so I figured the best route was to build something.

Hope I made my description clear. I would appreciate some feedback and/or suggestions.

Thanks,
Adrien

[Brhino]

so, if I understand you, each tank will sit on a piece of 2x10, and each 2x10 will be screwed into vertical 2x4s in front and in back? I'd be a bit concerned that all the weight is being placed on the screws themselves, rather than on the lumber. I think the steel L-brackets you mention would be a very good idea.

[AdrienDeLaChicago]

Yeah, that was the idea. And since the tanks are only 16" from left to right I do not think it is necessary to create some sort of cross brace from left to right (underneath the shelves themselves. I do not think that the 2x10 cut to a length of say 20" will bow over time due to the weight of 65lb. Maybe I will drill a pilot hole for the 4" screw and then do the "L" bracket as well.

[SkipW]

If I understand it correctly you will have 2x4 supports on the wall (back) and on the 2 front corners..... I would notch the 2x4 about 3/4 inch deep to hold the 2x10 shelf. This will take the weight off the screws and put it directly on the 2x4 supports.

[AdrienDeLaChicago]

Yeah, Skip. You got my idea.

I have never notched into wood before. Does that require a special or expensive tool? I can rent one.

Hey what do you guys think of doing this idea but with ten gallon tanks? Petco is having a sale on their tanks at $1 a gallon. Unfortunately the 5.5 gallon tanks are $13.99 and they are not on sale. They are smaller and more money. I'd love to have my bettas in a larger tank with lots of plants.

[Brhino]

six tanks, ten gallons each, figure a hundred pounds per tank (tank itself, water, substrate, etc)? Six hundred pounds total, some of which is hanging seven feet off the ground?

I am admittedly not a mechanical type (I'm an electrical engineer), but I'd want a very sturdy structure to attach that kind of weight to. Sturdier than 4 vertical 2x4s. I'd want horizontal and diagonal crossbracing as well, and perhaps plywood between for stability.

Also - are you screwing into the drywall, or screwing into the wall studs?

[AdrienDeLaChicago]

I am going to stick with the 5.5 gallon option. The ten gallon option is not going to work. Figure, at least 4 inches of space above the tank and the underside of the shelf above. So that is 16 inches per space between shelves, then add the 1.5" per shelf itself and this takes me to about 103" from floor to ceiling. It is not possible to do this since I only have 8ft ceilings. Then add another 1.5" for each shelf This would take me all the way to the ceiling with 10 gallon tanks.

I will stick with the 5.5 gallon option. So never mind. :11:

My bettas will have to do with a smaller environment. :14:

[AdrienDeLaChicago]

Okay so I did the math and figured it all out. Looks like I will have to eliminate one of the tanks even by using a 5.5 gallon sized tank.

Even with using 5.5 gallons, if I allow 14 inches of space between shelves and then factor in the depth of each shelve that puts me at about 94.5 inches. I did the math. This would be fine but then doing water changes for the top tank would not work because I use a 2 gallon garden watering can. I would not be able to tilt it in order to re-dispense water back into the tank because the watering can would hit the ceiling as I do it.

Not sure if I could find some sort of hose to attach to my kitchen sink as it is only 8ft away from where the tanks will be. I would do this as an option but not sure as to how easy it is to find a hose to fit my kitchen faucet. I have a ladder so I would not mind doing it. Plus I have one of those faucets that is attached to a hose.

Dang...I have only been keeping fish for about a year and I am becoming obsessed with running into snags. Do any of you get this way or am I the only one? :sconfused:

[SunSchein89]

You could always get two 10 gallon tanks side by side running perpendicular with the wall if you have about 20 inches for the shelf to come out from the wall. Not as much viewing ability there, but it would give them more room to swim in, be cheaper at the moment, and cut the height of your shelves in half. Or even do the same with the 5.5s if you have to. Not sure if this would appeal to your or not, but it is another option.
---------------------------------------
10 gal viewing area normally:
20.25" x 13" = 263.25 square inches
10 gal sideways (perpendicular to wall):
10.5" x 13" = 136.5 square inches

5.5 gal viewing area normally:
16" x 10.5" = 168 square inches
5.5 gal sideways (perpendicular to wall):
8.5" x 10.5" = 89.25 square inches
---------------------------------------
Broke down the numbers (not exact measurements) so you could get a better idea. If you turn your 10 gal. tanks sideways, you're really not losing much viewing area compared to a 5.5 gallon situated normally (18.75% of the viewing area using these numbers).

[AdrienDeLaChicago]

Hey, Sun. Thanks for your suggestion. It is a great idea but this is going in a hallway and I only have about 48" of space from one end to another. I can take up about 11" or so by having shelves flat up against the wall. But if I go 22" or so (placing tanks perpendicular to the wall as per your idea) then that takes away half of the hallway space. Plus if the bettas see each other they are going to go at it trying to kick each others ass.


I do not have my digital camera at home at the moment. But I will take a picture when this is done. It will actually look pretty cool going up the wall and since I have mirrors on the opposite wall from floor to ceiling it reflects the tanks and creates a really cool effect. Like I have double the fish tanks in my tiny abode. :ssmile:

Living in a tight studio kinda sucks. :scry:

[SunSchein89]

Ahh gotcha. Yeah, I don't blame you then. Would've worked better if it was up against a wall in a room. I'd be interested to see how one would do a water change on a tank near the ceiling :lol:. I know you were talking about cutting glass tanks in your other thread. Maybe cut some holes into the sides of them and have them all connect to one pvc pipe and each tank has its own valve to drain water from. Eliminate the need to scoop or syphon water out completely. Getting it in may be another problem.

[AdrienDeLaChicago]

Oooh! I am very scared to start drilling holes into tanks.

I tried buying 10 gallon tanks hoping to temporarily remove the top rim and then cut the tanks down so that they would only measure 9" instead of 12" for total height. I tried this last night and those rims are very flimsy and it broke.

I made a bookcase to house those bookshelf aquariums (the plastic ones from Petco) but since I was able to return them at Petco I wanted something in glass. Since I custom built a shelf I thought I could try to customize already made glass tanks. I bought a glass cutter and tried but I cracked the side all the way down in the middle and so I lost a tank. I googled how to remove rims from tanks and found sites with plenty of directions but those directions were all about getting rid of the rim permanently so they were cutting it apart instead of trying to keep it in tact like I was in order to recycle it. But I am not upset about it. At least the fish tank was only $10 due to Petco's sale.

Even though I made this big bookcase it will not go to waste. It will go to a small spot at the end of the hallway and literally be used for books and things.

[SunSchein89]

Who uses bookshelves for books!? :lol: Most of my furniture in my room has some sort of aquarium/vivarium on top of it, although, my two little cheap-o particle board bookshelves from target do have a bunch of movies and a few books and things... but there's still a snake and some leopard geckos sitting on top of them; can't let all that good space go to waste :stongue:.

Well good luck in whatever future plans you have for your tanks then. Glad to hear you were able to return the tanks and get some replacements. Hope the rest of the conversion is smooth sailing.

[SkipW]

I have never notched into wood before. Does that require a special or expensive tool? I can rent one.


The cleanest and fastest cut would be with a router. But if you're handy with a chisel, you can make cuts across the area with a circular saw (or hand saw) about 1/8 to 1/4 inch apart by setting the depth on the saw to about 3/4 inch. Then use your chisel to break them out and smooth the bottom.

[AdrienDeLaChicago]

Thanks, guys, or your help and support. I will take photos of my final result when all done. :)